From the AP: GOP donor funds South Dakota National Guard troops in Texas
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Tuesday she will use a donation from a Republican donor to fund a deployment of up to 50 South Dakota National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico.
Noem joined a growing list of Republican governors promising to send law enforcement officers to Texas as the GOP ramps up a political fight with President Joe Biden over border security. The issue has drawn a host of prominent GOP figures: Former President Donald Trump was expected to travel to the border this week and Republican governors from Arkansas, Florida, Nebraska and Iowa have all committed to sending law enforcement officers for border security.
So the Governor is going to use private money to send public troops (who are part time, and have lives in SD that they may not appreciate having disrupted) to ‘secure’ a border in TX as part of a political pissing match.
Do I have that right?
How is this allowed?Report
If I had to guess, and I don’t know… I mean, this is entirely speculation plucked from my rear end…
Kristi Noem is irritated by the situation at the border.
Fair enough.
She believes that the laws at the border are not, in fact, being enforced.
Fair enough.
She wants to send the National Guard down to the border.
There are a handful of problems with this. They include:
1) Engineering Problems
2) Political Problems
Foremost among the first: Her budget does not include paying for this crap.
This is the engineering problem that usually keeps everything else in check. “We’d love to do that! Do you have funding?”
“Erm. No.”
“Tough Noogies.”
This particular engineering problem has, in the past, prevented 99.9% of cases of misuse of the National Guard.
But then this guy shows up and says “Don’t you worry about it. I’ll cover the tab.”
This solves the #1 Engineering problem.
So my read:
Given that 99.9% of all National Guard problems have been nipped in the bud by the whole “funding” thing in the past, everybody involved assumed that this was the only thing blocking the use of the National Guard.
Because nobody has ever gotten to the Political Problems part of the problems before, the principals here assumed that it wasn’t there.
That’s my best guess.Report
As for sending the Guard members, most states have a pair of laws on the books: one that authorizes the governor to ask other states for assistance, and one that authorizes the governor to send Guard (or other law enforcement) in response to such requests. Abbott asked; Noem responded; probably legal.
In practice, the SD Guard members will almost certainly do the same kind of things the regular troops deployed to the area do: technical support for helicopter and drone flights, sensor placement, perhaps sensor monitoring. They won’t be anywhere close to people who are crossing the border.
As a former state legislature budget staffer, I wonder about the funding, and in particular whether the money will be properly appropriated so available to be spent. States vary; it may be legal in SD for the governor to accept “contributions” and spend them however she sees fit. In my state, such a check would have to be made out to “Dept of Revenue” and unless specifically targeted to a project that allows for “gifts and contributions” would go into the General Fund and be subject to appropriation.Report
Probably the only thing Bill Maher said I still find amusing:
Conservatives love soldiers the way Michael Vick loves dogs.Report
After Vick returned to the NFL, I always faulted the lack of imagination at opposing stadiums. They should have played “Who Let the Dogs Out?” when he stepped on the field.Report
Maybe Noem should have talked to her AG about this horrendous idea. Ummm….. Googles SD AG…. Oh yeah… Hell she probably hopes this sack of crap will distract from her AG.
Seriously Noem wasn’t SD being known for Rushmore and wall drugs good enough.Report
I wonder if they’re going to fly them down or something? If they were driving would they need permission from all the states they went through?Report
If they really get deployed they will be on government travel orders and likely fly.Report
Abbot made a request for help and most states have laws that a governor can send national guard troops to another state if that state asks for help.* The whole payment by billionaire is a new angle though.
*FWIW, I think this is more for natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, etc.Report
Of course it is, but do you really think they care what its for? These folks are hell bent on taking over no matter what. Talk about killing federalism openly . . . .Report